Despite the odds, the DLSU Green Archers snatched the last ticket to the Final Four as they shot down the ADMU Blue Eagles, 78-72, in their UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament matchup earlier tonight, November 26, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The game came down to the wire, with high-octane twists and turns at every moment as both teams threw jab after jab with their season on the line.
The Green-and-White was led by Jacob Cortez, with a game-high 20 points, seven assists, and three rebounds, including the dagger bucket to put the game away, while Mike Phillips contributed 13 points and 16 rebounds down the stretch.
On the contrary, Dom Escobar put up 18 points in the loss, along with Kymani Ladi, who bagged 13 points.
Quivers loaded
The Green Archers opened the game with Vhoris Marasigan setting the tone early, establishing his physical presence in the midrange before the quarter quickly turned into a shootout highlighted by Escobar and Ladi’s outside touch. Despite a shaky stretch filled with missed free throws and turnovers on both sides, the Green-and-White repeatedly found answers through Phillips’ inside dominance, Jcee Macalalag’s timely three, and Cortez’s aggressive drives that kept the lead within reach. Momentum briefly shifted when Luis Pablo converted an and-one, later detonating the biggest play of the period with a thunderous block on Escobar that sent the ball flying into the stands as the crowd went into a frenzy. With the score knotted multiple times and neither side allowing breathing room, the Green-and-White turned to Guillan Quines for the final shot of the quarter, but his midrange look fell short, leaving the Green Archers clinging to a 20-18 edge after a high-intensity opening frame.
La Salle opened the second quarter with tenacity, crashing the boards and fighting for extra chances in a 38-second sequence that somehow still came up empty, setting the tone for a physical, back-and-forth stretch. Doy Dungo’s crafty in-and-out move briefly reignited the offense, but Ateneo countered with Escobar’s smooth pull-up and Shawn Tuano’s statement-making steal for a dunk that swung momentum their way. The Archers regained rhythm behind Quines’ setup for Rhyle Melencio’s banked corner three and Pablo’s continued defensive dominance with another emphatic block, yet Ateneo stayed within striking distance through steady free throws and timely shooting. Phillips’ interior bullying and Earl Abadam’s composed midrange jumper pushed La Salle ahead again, although Jared Bahay immediately erased the lead with a clutch triple. After a lengthy back-and-forth exchange, the Blue Eagles managed to snatch the lead back on following a triple from Ian Espinosa. Despite solid looks in the final minute, La Salle could not capitalize, ending the quarter trailing 38–37 in a tense, momentum-swing-heavy frame.
Ice-cold arrow
With a close dogfight underway, the third began with scrappiness that was exemplified by the Blue Eagles shutting down DLSU as their shots became contested with a disjointed 12-2 scoring run led by Divine Adili and Escobar’s paint dominance, putting the Green Archers down by 53-43 midway into the period. Faced with a dire situation, Cortez and Pablo amped up the heat, following up with back-to-back buckets to quell the scoring run as the intense atmosphere echoed around the coliseum. They continued to alternate on both as with the Green Archers eventually gained a late quarter boost, powered by Abadam and Pablo, as their offense revolved around the paint and the three, then arriving at Marasigan to finish off the quarter with a tough closer, as the double-digit lead was cut down to four, 60-56.
As the finish line was in sight, only one could leave this arena victorious. Given this, the Green Archers showed up with crucial baskets down the stretch. Marasigan picked up right where he left off to open up the quarter as both squads battled for every inch of the board. Phillips outhustled the white shirts on the rebounds while Cortez continued to get to work, pulling up with a statement three to put the match into a deadlock, 63-all, and bringing the Lasallian community into a deafening eruption. Each jumper and basket was a combination of haymakers thrown by the Green Archers, with Cortez striking again as he took charge, pulling up for a momentum-shifting jumper for the lead, 67-65, causing Ateneo to slowly lose their composure. With the stakes at an all-time high, Marasigan was disqualified after an unsportsmanlike foul, followed by Adili fouling out with his fifth personal, as the nail-biting match took detour after detour, with a twist at every moment. As the Ateneo community chanted “Send them home” in control with the possession with Green Archers leading narrowly by two from a Phillips putback, Bahay’s potential game-tying dish was intercepted by Cortez, leading to a dagger fadeaway, 76-72, silencing the ADMU crowd. Phillips put the icing on the cake with a game-sealing steal as DLSU pushed all the way toward the finish to secure their third consecutive Final Four berth with a 78-72 victory.
Player of the Game Cortez was the spark that lit the fire to seal the deal for the Green-and-White as the game was decided the moment the ball entered the ring. Cortez detailed his takeaway during the moment in a post-game interview: “That shot, I’ve been doing that since I was a kid, counting down by yourself in the gym, what best way to do it in a crucial Ateneo-La Salle game,” Cortez reflected.
While ecstatic on their win against the Blue Eagles, Phillips and Cortez conveyed their thoughts on their upcoming matchup against the first seed NU Bulldogs. “I just feel like this is going to be one for the books. It’s going to create a lot of pressure, a lot of challenge, and it’s another test for us to overcome. It’s going to be a great fight on both sides, and I’m excited,” Phillips shared. Cortez on the other hand, wants to take it one game at a time while sticking to their principles, “It’s actually all just about having fun [and] sticking together. But we got to really focus on these practices, just know that we’re excited and all going to stay focused,” the point guard stated.
The Green-and-White will return to the same venue, aiming to topple the top-seeded NU Bulldogs to force a do-or-die game in their Final Four duel on Wednesday, December 3, at 1:30 pm.
The Scores:
DLSU 78 – Cortez 20, Phillips 13, Marasigan 12, Pablo 9, Macalalag 8, Abadam 7, Melencio 5, Dungo 4, Amos 0, Quines 0
ADMU 72 – Escobar 18, Ladi 13, Adili 11, Bahay 11, Espina 10, Espinosa 4, Lazaro 3, Tuano 2, Bongo 0, Fjellvang 0, Lazo 0
Quarter Scores: 20-18, 37-38, 56-60, 78-72
